- Newcon Energy® (NE) secures 32 percent of total grid capacity in REN tender
- 20 projects with a total capacity of 5.3 GW from NE in the final results list
- 7 projects from NE with a capacity of 2.2 GW make it into the Top20 selection
Newcon Energy® Portugal Lda. was able to secure 32 percent of the total capacity in the tender of the Portuguese grid operator Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), more than any other company. A total of 20 Newcon Energy® projects with a total capacity of 5.3 GW were included in the final list of projects, which will now receive a bid from REN in the next step to create the required grid capacity.
The capacity reservation for the feed-in of the planned renewable electricity covers nine connection stations distributed over a radius of about 120 km in the southern half of Portugal.
7 projects with a capacity of 2.2 GW made it into the Top20 selection. The listing within the TOP20 is so crucial because these bids are prioritized in time when sending the bids for grid connection.
There were a total of 4,000 registrations for the auction. Projects had to be submitted by 07/28/2020. REN used a guide (Termos de Referencia) and pre-established evaluation criteria to determine which projects met the requirements. In 2020, a total of 78 projects with a total capacity of 17 GW were selected, submitted by 37 project developers.
The tender is based on Decree-Law 172/2006 of 23.08.2006 extended at Decree-Law 76/2019 of 03.06.2019, which provides for participation in the creation of grid capacity. The Portuguese tender model provides for project developers to participate in the costs of grid expansion. Once the final projects have been selected, the project developers will receive an offer for the creation of the necessary grid capacities to connect the selected projects.